Demon, Or Human?
by Rosepoison
Summary: A few shorts on some of Rin's . . . less human parts. Take his teeth, for example. They look like something that belongs on a shark. Mostly hurt/comfort, with (hopefully) a funny ending for each. (I plan on mentioning all the main cast at some point or another, Kuro just gets more of a main role.) Bumped the original rating up to T, now blatant Rin/Shiemi.
1. Blunted Knives

Have you ever taken full stock of Rin Okumura's defenses? Counted them, understood what they could actually do?

Rin knows them all too well.

1)

His teeth, although not as deadly or sharp as his other siblings', could still be considered fangs. He'll laugh them off if someone draws attention to them, usually feigning dental problems. He's built entire costumes around them for Halloween (when he was tired from Shura's training and not feeling particularly creative.)

Quite honestly, those fangs were made for ripping and tearing (though Rin has the blunted version.)

Except at certain times . . .

_Yukio stares at the sky worriedly. He takes off his glasses, rubs them, then the bridge of his nose. Rin can't really help but notice this, God knows he's trying not to, and it's starting to drive him nuts._

_"Four-Eyes, I'm begging you, I will study like a maniac for the next THREE MONTHS if you promise to quit doing that every five minutes."_

_"Doing what?"_

_Rin grunts in disgust, throwing down his book, and heads for the roof, Kuro at his heels._

_**"You've been a little testy today, Rin. Anything wrong?"**_

_The exorcist looks surprised at this._

_"Hn? What makes you think that?"_

_**"For one, you'd normally answer your brother outright, instead of just storming off. For another, even the infamous Rin Okumura hasn't made it a habit of nearly blowing up half the academy over something so trivial as a fight with Ryuji. How'd that one start, anyways? I couldn't get much out of the grapevine."**_

_The eldest Okumura smiles wryly at this, knowing exactly who Kuro means by the grapevine. _

_"Ukobach clammed up, eh?"_

_**"Yes! Now what happened?!" **Rin chuckles as his familiar practically dances on the roof with anticipation. _

_"Not much, I guess. Just me being stupid. Bonbon asked me about my teeth, just said something about them looking sharper . . . I kinda snapped. Dunno why, it was ridiculous, like I said. I'm guess glad Shura shut me down before I could do anything, though . . . But man, did she have to do it so hard? It felt like she was trying to pull my tail out of it's socket!"_

_Kuro's look of utter horror is enough to have the half-demon doubling over in laughter._

_"**She did wha-at? And she's ALIVE? Rin, have some self-respect . . . Wait, all Ryuji did was comment on how sharp your **__teeth__** were getting? Back in the demon world, that's a compliment . . ." **The familiar's eyes go wide(er) as the answer hits him:_

_Rin doesn't want to be lumped together with demons. In any_ _way._

_The knight-in-training slumps forward on the roof, otherwise sobered. His familiar mutters a sincere apology, but the damage is done. He's about to head back downstairs (to give his master some space) when Rin clears his throat._

_"You think I might be turning into more of a demon each time I go all-out?" The demon-cat gapes. __This is the single most intelligent sentence he's ever heard come from Rin's mouth._

_And he's heard a lot come out from there._

_**"It's not impossible but-" **Kuro is cut short by the youngest Okumura, who seems to have materialized from nowhere._

_"Nii-San, I need you to stay inside for the rest of the day, and night. It's an eclipse today and your powers might temporarily get out of hand. Please, PLEASE don't make me watch your every ste-" Now it's Yukio's turn to be interrupted, as he's unceremoniously tackled by his older brother._

_"YUKIO! Thankyouthankyouthankyou! Have I told you you're the best best brother that ever lived?! HaHA!" Rin half bounds, half skips down the stairs, leaving a dazed, and more than slightly confused, sibling in his wake._

_"Now what was that all about?_


	2. Not an Elf

2)

Rin's ears can be remarkably irritating. Most of the time, people ignore them, as they would his teeth. What? Weirdos are everywhere, and with a little surgery, you can do just about anything.

But when they don't, it means big trouble for the eldest Okumura.

The pointy little things manage to pull their weight, however, since Rin can almost always impress the others with his hearing. Other than that, the exwire would rather rely on his other senses and just have ears like a normal human. If not for practical reasons, then because it would make him _feel _more like the others . . .

_"Mommy! Look! That boy has pointy ears! Is he an elf?" _

_"No, Kotaro, elves don't have hair like that. He's just a human. A human weirdo."_

'Shows how much you know, "lady."' _the exwire doesn't particularly mind the "elf" comments he gets from kids. It's kinda funny, actually. And a heckova lot better than being called a demon._

It's just the parents' comments that tend to sting. But hey, unspoken Okumura code- shrug it off and deal.

_"MIND YER OWN BUSINESS, YA OLD HAG!"_

_Yeah, The Code has been getting easier and easier to follow nowadays . . . _

_"Eh, Bon? Er, thanks . . . I think . . ." Rin awkwardly greets his friend, somewhat lost on what to do next._

_Luckily, someone else decides for him. _

_. . ._

_Ryuji nearly jumps out of his skin as Okumura's head wips around, not ten seconds after the Aria told that "lady" off. _

_"Hey, what's going on? Is there a demon nearby?" Bon quickly settles into a fighting stance, turning towards the half-breed._

_"Y-you're kidding? You can't hear that racket goin' on? It sounds like the time the school speaker system went berserk . . ." _

_The Aria's eyes go wide at this, suddenly understanding._

_ . . ._

_The Speaker Incident in question wasn't really important, in itself. Some idiot spilled water, cola, or at least some electricity-conducting liquid on the equipment at school . . . and it . . . kinda exploded. The main thing is, according to Rin, there was a sharp squeal, and then __a sound like an A-bomb in his head. _

_To everyone else, the short-circuiting electronics were nothing more than a large annoyance. __But the sound had Rin on his knees, eyes wild, pupils dilated, and desperately trying to cover his ears._

_That was the first time since he'd been at True Cross Academy that Ryuji had ever seen Yukio sedate his brother._

_And he hopes it's the last._

_. . ._

_The Eldest Okumura winces as the once-annoying sound upgrades to down-right painful in just a few seconds._

_'Great, I'll be having deja vu any minute now.'_

_vvvvvvvvvrrrrrRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAA!_

_The sound, which the Knight would probably classify as a roar, rips through the lazy afternoon sunshine._

_"Alright, Bonbon, even your ears musta picked that up . . . Please tell me they picked that up . . .__" Rin looks at his friend, half hoping, half in pain. _

_His anwer comes in the form of his classmate's slack jaw._

_. . ._

_Ryuji tries to gather his thoughts. He knows three things:_

_- They're about to face off with a demon that could stun a human, and, probably, knock out one of it's own kind._

_- Judging from it's voice, this thing is BIG._

_- They're going to be fighting this thing alone._

_Not good._

_ . . ._

_Kuro playfully leaps at a passing butterfly, not particularly intending to catch it. (What would he do with a bug, anyways?) But a silent call for help from his master, however accidental, reaches his ears, throwing him into action._

_Well, not a CALL call for help. Kuro just knows by now when Rin's bitten off more than he can chew, and just rolls with it. It's kind of a master-familiar thing._

_. . ._

_Piercing cries hit the demon cat's ears before his master's scent._

_And, of course, they only get worse. _

_By the time he's taken his proper place at Rin's side, the poor cat can feel his ears bleeding. _

_Really, only an Okumura could get themselves into something like this._

_**"Rin, PLEASE, why won't you just kill the Siren already? It's giving me a headache and I can't imagine what it's doing to you."**_

_"Ugh . . . Kuro . . .? I-I dunno if I can kill it . . . What's a Siren, anyways? I al-always heard they were . . . were some kinda twisted mermaid . . ."_

_Fantastic. The blasted thing was starting to work it's magic on the elder Okumura already._

_**"A small demon. It's more fish than maid, Rin. A real delicacy back in Gehenna. But they're mostly eaten because of all the noise they make. Real pests. I think they're similar to koi."**_

_"Only more a pain in the ***?" Kuro nods._

_"Hey, over here? We going to take this thing out or what?"_

_Rin blinks back dumbly, the Siren's song taking a toll on what's left of his senses. The halg-demon eventaully sums up his previous conversation dazidly, ending his final sentence by collapsing onto the street._

_"OKUMURA!" **"RIN!"**_

_. . ._

_Needless to say, the Siren (which turned out to be about as much of a threat as a Coal Tar, save its minor mind-scrambling ability) was dispatched easily. And without a hint of pity. Let alone mercy._

_No, really. Bon literally said his piece (though Kuro had to cue him) and left._

_ . . ._

_Did I mention this particular demon looked something like the fish version of Hello Kitty? Ryuji didn't bat an eyelash. _

_. . ._

_Some witnesses would claim to see him smile while that thing withered away._

_. . ._

_Zero mercy. Nada. Nill. The Aria made Satin look like a sweetheart._

_. . ._

Moral of the story: Don't get Bon mad, and while demon ears can be useful for detecting demons, they're mainly a huge pain in the tail.

Which is what we'll be talking about next time.


	3. Goat-Boy

3)

Ah, now on to Okumura's tail. AKA, the appendage that is fast becoming the bane of his existence.

I mean it. The thing gets caught in doors, is pulled, has a mind of its own, and is the soul reason for him being compared to a (goat) kid.

In front of _Shiemi_.

. . .

Heck, in front of BON. A nickname like goat-boy kinda sticks to ya, you know. Not to mention ruins your street cred.

. . .

Rin will willing get on his knees and _beg_ to be called a walking candle again. Better to be confused with a arsonist (or, worse, Astaroth) then to be called "cute" and "kiddo" by half the student body.

The male half, not the female.

. . .

Ahem, back to the matters at hand . . .

_Rin shifts uneasily in his chair. He's been sitting for almost three hours. Nothing's changed. The line still leaps across the screen, the nurse still comes in to check the IV every half-hour, and the doctors are still keeping quiet._

_They all know what happened, they just won't talk about it while he's in the building._

_Really, it's so ridiculous, it's funny. Rin has good ears, but not that good. _

_Still, not a murmur._

_But the Exwire isn't naive. He knows this blasted hospital will be buzzing with gossip the minute he steps out the door._

_And they'll all be talking about how badly he messed up. _

. . .

_A few days later the patient is awake, even laughing a bit. _

_Rin isn't._

_"Hey."_

_"Hi."_

_Insert excruciatingly long pause here . . ._

_"I heard you're studying more, really hitting the books . . ."_

_"Yeah, guess so. Haven't had much else to do, with you out of commission and all."_

_Rin's tail wags, or rather sags, a few times. It eventually seems to give up the fight to keep moving, and flops on the bed like a tired cat._

_"How's your tail doing, anyways? You fell right on it, was smashed into a wall with it, and I think even got holy water poured on it once or twice." This is said in a I-Won't-Allow-You-To-Avoid-What-Comes-Next tone._

_"Better than it looks."_

_"Well, it looks like the wrath of God." Matter-of-fact and direct, ouch. _

_This produces more silence, which is quickly, if not desperately, filled by the bed's occupant._

_"I mean it, Rin. This . . . mess isn't an excuse for you to stop taking care of yourself . . . N-now look at this spot here . . . Don't tell me those burn marks aren't painful," gentle fingers timidly touch the soft appendage._

_"And there's bruises all along here . . . and here . . . And . . . Uh, oh . . ."  
_

_Somewhere along the lines of this little inspection/lecture, the owner of the hands started to run out of tail._

_"RIN! What happened to this poor thing?! It's like holding a maraca! NURSE!"_

_The Okumura sighs. Leave it to one of his friends to overreact._

_ . . ._

_"Mr. Okumura, I'm afraid your . . . er, tail . . . Has suffured a major injury. You'll only lose about two inches in length . . . But I have to ask . . . Did you slam it into a door? Because the entire staff is curious, having never seen something like this-"_

_"-And they even have a pool going."_

_"He hurt it because of me!" _

_The Rin exchanges a Look with their doctor._

_"Maybe you should tell me the whole story."_

_-.-.-.-_

_Rin dodged and weaved, stumbling a bit with exhaustion.__They'd been on a school-wide ghoul-hunt since before dawn, and were starting to slow down._

_The ghouls weren't._

_Help was on the way, though, with half the True Cross Academy students already in the fight, and the other half waking up to._

_Now to just survive another ten minutes._

_"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"_

Yeah, nothing in life is ever easy.

_Rin turned around just in time to see his partner, and . . . his crush . . . pounced on by the biggest ghoul he'd ever seen._

_And he'd seen a lot of 'em that morning._

_Screaming, eyes burning, sword flying, the exorcist jumped right in, with no thought to life or limb. _

_Various monstrosities clawed at him, one biting down on his tail. Hard. _

_And, suddenly, the hero was down, moaning in pain, with a mini-ghoul nibbling at his tail that should have been eaten alive by now in Gehenna. _

_Then another demon, apparently hoping to rise in rank, smashed the exorcist into a wall. _

_Unfortunately for almost everyone involved, Rin went through the wall, and landed on their back-up._

_Who were quite literally carrying holy water in buckets. Of course one of them spilled half of it on him. Or at least his newest pain in the rear._

_Rin, still in demon form, in a relative amount of agony, and worried to death about his partner, finally just lost it. _

_. . ._

_Between the hell-fire and flurry of cuts, the battle field was leveled. Nothing standing before was alive. Friend or foe._

_If it weren't for the fact that those "exorcists" turned out to be fakers and demons sent by the Big Man himself, Rin wouldn't be alive today either. _

_The only thing that saved his friend from being cut to pieces was being out on the ground in critical condition._

_. . ._

_The doctor nods, looking like he actually understands._

_"I'll leave you two alone." To Rin's eternal embarrassment, the man winks on his way out._

_"Well, that was weird. But, uh . . . heh, heh . . . you know how adults are-"_

_"Rin Okumura, look me in the eye and tell me I had nothing to do with you leveling a whole city block of the cram school."_

_"Shiemi, I-" Rin shifts in his chair uncomfortably, looking at anything BUT the blonde. Blast it! When he get to be such a sap? His tail shivers a bit at this thought._

_When the knight finally works up the courage to look the girl in the eye and lie, he nearly bursts into laughter._

_"W-What? What's so funny?!" Shiemi's face turns red, adding to the effect._

_Rin can't really bear to tell the girl she has "that look" on her face. You know, that awful one where she looks like she's been sucking on a lemon- and accidentally swallowed it whole._

_"N-nothing! nothing!"_

_"Well, it has to be something or you be laughing! Oooooh, it's my face isn't it . . .?"_

_. . ._

_The two continue this hardy round of questions and avoided answers throughout the night, nearly choking themselves on more than one occasion. But, they manage to live through it, and as Rin leaves that God-awful hospital, he comes to a conclusion:_

_He wouldn't mind spending every night like that, with her, even if he was the one who wouldn't be walking for the next three months._

_Rin's tail wags the best it can, as if in agreement._

_It's gonna be a long way home._


End file.
